Isis concerns, but fewer checks?

As the closest UK city to the continent, Canterbury is on the frontline regarding security issues. But two statements made this month raise questions about our safety, especially when they are read together.

Alex Younger, head of MI6, spoke on February 15 of Isis “morphing, spreading out” as it is being defeated in Syria and Iraq. Hundreds of Uk-born Isis fighters could be on their way back to the UK. Having acquired “skills and connections”, they are now “potentially very dangerous”, he said.

So what are we to make of the plan from HM Revenue & Customs to lift physical checks for up to a year on freight arriving in UK ports, including Dover?

On February 4, HMRC said: “For a temporary period, HMRC will allow most goods moving from the listed roll-on roll-off locations to leave the UK port or train station before you’ve told us that the goods have arrived.”

The government is keen to avoid traffic gridlock after Brexit, due to happen on March 29. But terrorists and smugglers use freight lorries as a taxi service when they can. Cutting the checks gives the wrong message at the very worst time.

Only 18 miles from Dover, Canterbury can be reached in 30 minutes from that port. Is the government forgetting that its primary duty is to protect the safety of its citizens?